Finger cap



R. WEIL FINGER CAP June 4, 1946.

Filed NOV. 3, 1943 Patented June 4, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FINGER CAP Rudolf Weil, New York, N. Y; Application November 3, 1943, Serial No. 508,842

(]. IRS-#157) 6 Claims. 1

This invention relates to bandages and more particularly to bandages or protective coverings for the ends of fingers or toes.

It is well known that the bandaging of wounds or infections at or near the tips of fingers or toes presents a very diflicult problem. If the older type of gauze bandage is used, a large amount of material is required both to cover the end of the finger or other digit and also to anchor the bandage, which is usually accomplished by winding several layers around the middle and lower portions of the digit, thus much time is lost and the resulting bandage is apt to be very bulky and cumbersome. On the other hand, the conventional type of ready-made adhesive bandage, while admirably suited for the protection of intermediate parts of the fingers or toes, is equally unsuited for application to the tips of those members; although clumsy attempts to solve the problem by using two, three, or more of these bandages is sometimes made.

Then, too, especially in the case of serious affections of considerable superficial extent, finger cots have been employed in addition to the usual bandages. These are generally made of leather, rubber, or the like and are subject to the same orsimilar drawbacks as have been alluded to in connection with the older type of bandages.

It is therefore the general object of the invention to provide a novel and improved cap bandage for application to the ends of fingers or toes, one which may be quickly, neatly, and securely applied to the member, and which is easy and economical to'manufacture, package, and sell.

, The invention, in its preferred embodiment, contemplates the provision of a cap made of suitable fabric, preferably waterproof, and having inner adhesive coated margins with similarly coated tabs extending outwardly in diametrically oppositely disposed pairs from the body of the cap. The cap is so constructed and arranged that it may be secured to th digit circumferentially at a point disposed somewhat from the end thereof but without the necessity of making a plurality of windings of material which would result in a bulky bandage. One pair of tabs is wrapped around the member as far as they will extend, while the other pair and the half circumference of the margin of the cap, from which they project, are'held away fromthe member; then these remaining tabs and margin are wrapped, the later applied tabs overlying the first ones and adhering thereto,

The flattened finger cap with its tabs is of such outline that it is readily susceptible of being cut out of a blank without the wastage of any material whatsoever. The preferred method of manufacture contemplates the provision of caps in two parts, these parts bein secured togetherby sewing or otherwise-face to face; and to this end, bands or strips of material are provided along the side margins of one of their surfaces with a stripe of adhesive plaster-such as, for example, the conventional zinc oxide compositionand these coated edges are the'n'covered with a temporary protecting strip of gauze. Then two of the bands thus treated are laid face to face, sewed together along discontinuous, U- shaped curves or arcs where the tips of the caps occur, and finally the individual caps are cut or stamped out from the bands. The outlines or patterns of the individual caps are laid out on the bands in alternate transversely oppositely facing positions, the tips of each cap being enclosed adjacent themargins Of the bands by th two securing tabs of the flanking caps. In this way, all of the material is used without any waste,

According to an alternative embodiment of the invention the caps are not completely severed from the blank bands but are attached only by spaced narrow unsevered portions, whereby the caps may be packed, shipped, and sold in strips, and the individual caps torn ofi separately as needed by the user.

Other objects and features of novelty will be apparent from the followin specification when read in connection with the accompanying drawing in which one embodim'ent of the invention is,

illustrated by way of example.

In the drawing,

Figure 1 is a plan view, at one stage of its preparation, of one of the bands, two of which form an assembled blank from which the caps are made;

Figure 2 is a plan view of a end of which is separated to structure;

Figure 3 is a view in transvers section of the completed blank, taken on line 33 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a view of a finished cap bandage, separated from its strip, and ready to be applied; and

Figure 5 is a view in transverse cross section through a finger or other member to which the cap bandage is applied, the section being taken through the lower tab portion of the cap, and showing one side applied ,to the member with the other half ready to be wrapped and secured.

The caps prepared according to the present show the internal completed blank, one

3 invention are preferably made of two superposed pieces of fabric sewed together along one end and part of the side margins, and having flared tabs to aid in securing the cap to the finger. However, within the broader scope of the invention, the caps may be of one piece construction just so they conform to the broader features of the invention as set forth in certain of the claims. A finger cap bandage of the preferred form is shown in Figure 4' of the drawing and is designated by the referencenumeral l9. Thecap is 'formed from two pieces of cloth or other fabric H and 12, each of these pieces being identical in outline and being stitched or otherwise secured together along the margins of the body portion I3 of'the This body portion I3 is domecap, as at M. shaped or cup-shaped and of a size adapted. tofit over the end of the finger or toe to which it is to be applied. The body part of the cap is provided with opposite flaring tabs l5 and I6 and these tabs together with the intermediate marginal part of the cap are coated on their inner surfaces with an adhesive plaster as indicated at 20. This plaster may be'of any suitable type, such as the conventional zinc oxide composition. In order to prevent the oppositely disposed coated portions of the cap and tabs from sticking together before use of the device, these portions are covered with strips of gauze as indicated at 2! in Figure 4. The strips of gauze are made somewhat wider than the adhesive strip on the margin of the cap so that in the finished cap there is aprojecting portion 23 within the article extending beyond the coated area 20, which may be grasped with the fingers so that the gauze may be torn away from the adhesive.

The cap is applied to the end of the affected finger or toe, and after the gauze has been removed from one side of the device, the margin of this side is pressed against the digit and the two 7 4 cutting'of the blank may be accomplished in any suitable manner, one way of effecting this step being by means of a cutting die or knife which may descend upon a blank or pile of blanks and sever the individual caps along their margins. As previously mentioned, the contour and arrangement of the alternate caps is such that they interlock and may be severed without any wastage of material whatsoever. describes a zig-zag or wavy line of severance 30, down the intermediate portions of the blank, and rectilinear lines of severance 32 which intersect lines 39 at the center of each crown portion of the caps as clearly shown in the Figure 2.

flaring. tabs l5 and I6 are wrapped'around the member and adhere thereto. Then, the gauze is removed from the other margin and its tabs, and pressed against the member in the same way, with the tabs l5 and I6 overlying and adhering to the previously lapped tabs upon the other side of the cap.

In this way the entire interior of the cap band- 'age is sealed off against the admission of moisture and foreign matter and is firmly anchored in position even though the cap may extend a short distance'from the finger or toe to which it is applied.

. 'In the manufacture of the novel bandage, bands of fabric, preferably of'waterproof material, are

employed. One of' such bands is shown at 25 in Figure 1 of the drawing. Marginal stripes of adhesive 20 are applied as indicated in this figure and upon these coated areas strips of coarse gauze 2| are applied; then two of such prepared bands 25 are superposed face to face as indicated in Figures 2 and 3 of the drawing and the strips are sewed together and cut as will be presently described.

The assembled blank comprising the two bands 25 is stitched along the curved, generally U- shaped, discontinuous lines l4. The alternate arcs of stitching face in opposite directions with the. adjacent arms of the us lying in close parallel relationship. Then the assembled blanks are It will be noted that the covering gauze strips ,willbe severed, according to the embodiment illustrated, along the margins of the coated tabs,

but certain projections or extensions indicated at 23 will remain in the interior of the tabs and these will form convenient portions to be seized in the removing of the gauze from the adhesive. On the other hand, if desired, the width of the coated portions of the tab l5 and I6 may be narrower than the tabs as cut from the blank, and thus a projecting portion of the gauze is allowed to remain for the full length of the tab. j

Alternatively, the cutting knife or die may be interruptedor serrated and a resulting interrupted line of severance 30, 32 formed which will permit the caps in a blank to remain attached to each other during packing, shipping, and marketing and, an individual. cap may be torn off by the user just before applying it to the finger.

It willbe apparent that various changes and modifications may be made in the embodiment illustrated and described herein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by.

the following claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is: i

1. A blank forthe economical production of finger cap bandages or the like, which comprises a band of two-ply material the outer mutually facing marginal portions along opposite sides of the plies being coated with adhesive, and discontinuous stitching connecting the plies along U-shaped patterns upon the intermediate uncoated area of the blank.

2. A blank for the economical production'of finger cap bandages or the like, which comprises a band of two-ply material the mutually facing marginal portions along opposite sidesof the pliesbeing coated with adhesive, gauze strips overlying the coated portions, and discontinu ousistitching connecting the plies along the U- shaped patterns upon the intermediate uncoated areas of the blank, the U-shaped portion of stitching being arranged .in alternatelytoppo- 'sitely facing positions, with the legs of adjoining patternsparallel .and closely adjacent.

' 3. A blank for the economical =production-of finger cap bandagesor the like, which comprises a band of two-ply material the mutually'facing marginalportions'along' opposite sides of the plies being coated with adhesive; gauze strips overlying the coated portions, and discontinuous stitchingcon'necting the plies along the' U- shaped patterns upon the intermediate uncoated areas of the blank, the U-shaped. portions. of stitching being arranged in alternately 0ppo-. sitely facing positions, with the legs of adjoining patterns parallel and closely adjacent, and acontinuous sinuous score line having itssuc- The cutting knife cessive convolutions passing between the adjacent lines of stitching and around the bights of the U-shaped patterns, and other short transversely extending score lines abutting the first named sinuous score line at the centers of each lateral convolution.

4. The method of manufacturing cap bandages or the like, which comprises applying a streak of adhesive to the margins of one surface of each of two bands of material, superposing said bands with the adhesive bearing surfaces facing each other, securing the two bands together along alternately oppositely facing substantially arcuate lines along the intermediate uncoated portions of the bands, and cutting substantially T- shaped alternately oppositely arranged portions from the assembled bands, each piece containing one of the arcuate lines of attachment.

5. The method of manufacturing cap bandages or the like, which comprises applying a streak of adhesive to the margins of one surface of each of two bands of material, applying strips of protective material to the adhesive coated portions of said bands, superposing said bands with the adhesive bearing surfaces facing each other,

sewing the two bands together along discontinuous alternately oppositely facing substantially arcuate lines along the intermediate uncoated portions of the bands, and cutting substantially T-shaped alternately oppositely arranged portions from the assembled bands, each piece containing one of the arcuate lines of sewing.

6. The method of manufacturing cap bandages or the like, which comprises superposing two bands of material, securing the two bands together along discontinuous alternately oppositely facing substantially arcuate lines along the intermediate longitudinal portions of the bands, and cutting the assembled two-ply blank along a, sinuous line down the intermediate portion thereof, and along short lines connecting the opposite outer edges of the band with each laterally outwardly curving convolution of the sinuous line of severance, whereby the band is cut up into a plurality of caps each containing one of the arcuate lines of securing and having oppositely outwardly extending tabs adjacent one end, all without wastage of material.

RU'DOLF WEIL. 

